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Hi guys, Shann asked me to let you know she went in the hospital tonight. I've been trying to talk her into checking in for over a week, so I'm glad she did. Her shingles outbreak is really bad and she's been in so much pain. Praying they can help soon and that she won't fret over her freelance stuff too badly.

Leah, those pregnancies the ladies didn't know about always amaze me.

Becky, cool about the new job and the Valentine's gift.

Holly, yay about the laptop!

It feels weird to have a valentine for the first time ever and have tomorrow not be Singles Awareness Day. We're having a dessert date and I have a package I got in the mail but I'm under orders to wait to open it.

Sparrow wrote:It feels weird to have a valentine for the first time ever and have tomorrow not be Singles Awareness Day. We're having a dessert date and I have a package I got in the mail but I'm under orders to wait to open it.

Wait a second... I"m must have forgotten to update this thread. I'm HOME already, believe it or not. They let me out last night, less than 48 hours after surgery. I walked 150 feet with the walker and went up and down a couple of stairs. Now I just have to put up with this "active care pump" for the next 8 days or so. It squeezes my legs every few seconds. It's to prevent blood clots, so I know it's needed, but it is still highly annoying.

Happy birthday, JP. We won't bug you about how old you are because that will just make you more ornery.

Glad you're home, Allison. Keep those blood clots away! Hope Shann is getting better. I see her still going about her greetings to new FW members. Always the encourager... <3

Well, in other news, when I went to my "Non-Violent Crisis Intervention" class on Wednesday, the teacher was asking for examples of violence and since I'd had the I-didn't-know-I-was-pregnant gal the previous morning who was, in fact, thrashing around violently due to the intense pain of delivery (for which we could not medicate her because the baby could be affected), I gave it as an example of the irrationality some of our patients experience because they lose control due to the fear and pain. The teacher asked if I'd been hurt, and darn it all, yes, there was a new pain in my mid-back (very similar to when I had my car accident) which hadn't yet gone away even with a chiropractic adjustment the night before. So he told me I had to report it.

I went to the doctor for worker's compensation on Thursday, and thankfully he cleared me for work because I asked for it. He said normally he'd insist on taking off a few days. So I was able to work that night. They took X-rays, which were negative; it's just a sprain. Unfortunately it's just compounding the pain I already have. I'm back on my muscle relaxer, and Ibuprofen 'round the clock. I didn't injure myself again on Thursday night, but I was pretty sore by the end of it. Had a really good birth plan delivery, though.

Friday I slept all day and then Ryan and I had take-out Thai and watched Netflix. We did that last week too. Our small group was supposed to be getting together, but the leaders backed out at the last minute. I was going to stay up, but I was hurting still, so I'd taken my muscle relaxer, and I fell asleep on the couch until now. I just took another, which will knock me out in a couple hours, I imagine. I have one more shift tonight, then four days off. We booked a mini-vacation up in the mountains with an online deal - two nights for the price of one. The deal also includes some appetizers at a local restaurant, money off bike rental, and wine-tasting at a local winery. It's the same B&B where we've stayed twice before because they use organic foods and are very flexible with dietary restrictions. There'll probably still be snow up there, so it will be a relaxing getaway.

Leah, so sorry you hurt your back again. Praying the special time away will relax it and help you heal faster.

I had a nice day. I slept until 3:00 pm and then played a computer game online with Andy and his mom. Then I went over to my friend Holly's house. We were going to watch Hunger Games but couldn't find it on RedBox near us so finally gave up and watched an episode of Switched at Birth and then just talked all night. Then after I was home, I chatted on FaceBook with a newer girl in our online Bible study.

Monday I have two family events so it'll be a busy day and I'll have to get up early, so that'll be tough. I'm going to start the stimulant med either then or Tues... it's supposed to help me stay awake during the day but can have bad side effects.

My dad got his CT scan back that he is clear from more cancer. He meets with the oncologist on Tues to see if he needs any more treatment or if he is done.

Well, Friday my Mom, Tereza and I went up to where Justin is now working, and stopped in a saw him and talked for awhile. Found out the real reason Peter quite...they took away his TRX class because he was late for the class....his reason for being late was being he witnessed an accident and stayed with the guy until the help that he called in arrived....so messed up. I picked a new trainer, Galen and I have only been with him two days, he already had got me sore all over and set me up for more sessions, I really like him and I think this will be a good fit!

Hush Brat. That is one day EVERY ONE can forget you heard about. I was never born, I just spontaniously existed. I didn't even have a childhood. Could be why I am so child-LIKE now.

And I saw you last post, but got side tracked. It was about trainers or training.. or something about trains anyway.. and I didn't have much to say on that. I like listening to the sound of trains late at night as they....

One week post surgery for me today... Pain was actually worse last night and this morning than it's been in awhile. Perhaps due to the new exercises in PT. But I'm still doing really well. I'm only taking pain meds twice per day. I'm already (at times) walking with one foot in front of the other and just pushing the walker ahead of me! I still have Boa and am counting down the days like you would not believe. Still have some swelling and it gets worse in the evenings, but seems to be getting slightly better each day, and I seem to be the only one concerned with it. I'm already sick and tired of this and it's only week one. I'll survive, right?

This morning, I had an appointment at the research center. They just enrolled me in another study, a LDL study this time instead of my usual hypertension ones. But my first bus didn't come. So after 15 minutes, when I should only have waited 5 minutes, I went back to the house, roused my roomie Becky--the only one with a car--and after looking up the route in my trusty Thomas Guide, she drove me without incident to my appointment. I thought the rest of the day would go smoothly.

Not so.

After being weighed, having a blood sample drawn and leaving a urine sample, plus an EKG and my waist circumference taken, I sat in the room to wait. And wait. The staff popped in apologizing for the delay. It seems they tried to enter my personal identification code for the study, and kept getting an error message. Finally, they discovered someone at the first visit had accidentally marked me as male, and made an error on my date of birth. They tried calling the company that was between them and the drug company, but had a problem getting ahold of someone who could fix the problem. So they called the drug company.

More waiting.

They offered me a cup of coffee, and I accepted it. Later, I was given a delicious granola bar--thankfully not a crunchy one, with my teeth. Still later, the nurse practitioner came by with more apologies and more goodies--an apple, an oatmeal square, and some Tootsie Rolls. I'd taken my blood pressure meds and another trip to the ladies' room. I also ate the can of peaches I'd brought along, since I was to fast before the appointment.

More waiting.

Finally, the problem was cleared up, I was assigned to the study group--double blind, a pill daily and a shot with an Epipen every four weeks--and was given the pill and gave myself the shot in the tummy. I was there for 2 1/2 hours, they were very apologetic and appreciated my patience and understanding. Hey, I was in a good place, getting angry would've done nothing, and it wasn't really their fault. They asked if I wanted to come in tomorrow to get the meds, but I said no, I work Thursdays and Fridays. I chose to wait. I had a sudoku book with me that I did while waiting. And best of all, it wasn't busy.

So this study will be 12-14 weeks long, and at the end I will recieve $450, $50 a visit. I could really use that moolah.

I didn't get to the library to use the computer until 20 to 1 p.m. I ate the lunch I packed while waiting for the first bus back.

I praise God that He has been helping me keep my cool, because it sure isn't me doing it.

Hey all. I go into the hospital for a week and you all disappear? I can't believe you are out of the hospital so fast Allison.

So I have the left sided weakness and feeling that my left side is asleep. The doctor didn't have any sympathy he muttered something about if I had listened 14 months ago and gone to neurologist then they would know the answer.

I came home today. I felt super sad that Abbey wasn't there to greet me. She died when I was in hospital. We got her when Lyd was in kindergarten. She was at least 16 years old if not older so she lived a long time but it is still hard. I'm so glad I have Phin.

Sorry I'm not chattier but I love has all oh and I know how old Pup is but out of respect to the old goat, I'll only say he is older than I am but younger than Becky's grandmother...I think, well it's an educated guess based on Becky's mom's probable she when she had Becky and her grandmother's probable she times two and divided by 1/ π®√Δ±~ I know it's complicated but trust me.